Lalu Yadav was convicted and sent to jail in Bihar fodder scam cases
Lalu Yadav must not be allowed any reprieve to pursue his political activities, the CBI told the Supreme Court today, opposing the RJD chief's bail in fodder scam cases for which he is serving a jail term in Jharkhand.
"Lalu Yadav is not sentenced to 3.5 years but 27.5 years in jail if all punishments are calculated cumulatively," the CBI or Central Bureau of Investigation said in its affidavit to the Supreme Court.
It said the Bihar politician's "nefarious act" as Chief Minister of a state shook the conscience of the entire nation.
Lalu Yadav had requested bail for the Lok Sabha elections and was "misleading the court by asking for bail on medical grounds," said the investigating agency.
It added that the former Bihar chief minister "is conducting political activities from a special ward of a hospital."
Lalu Yadav, convicted in 2017, has been at a hospital in Ranchi for much of his sentence so far. He was held guilty of a multi-million-rupee scam involving the embezzlement of government funds meant for cattle fodder in the 1990s when he was chief minister of undivided Bihar.
The CBI told the court that the leader hasn't served his jail term but has been staying in a special ward of a hospital.
The Supreme Court will hear the case tomorrow.
Last year, Lalu Yadav was granted six weeks' provisional bail. He was restrained from taking part in any public function or political activity and was also barred from interacting with the media during that time.
Later, he asked for another break from prison on health grounds, claiming he needed surgery. A Jharkhand court refused and ordered him back to jail.
Lalu Yadav's absence is a setback for the RJD in poll season even though his younger son Tejashwi Yadav has proved himself upto the task of leading the party in his father's absence.